The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
by Equestrienne Dreams
Summary: "For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rocks the world..." 'Someday' is finally here. In the nebulous time beyond the Solarian war, Michael and Abigail Oversteegen discuss their future - and their family. Abigail Hearns/Michael Oversteegen, post-ART.


"I can't believe it's all over." Abigail shook her head, sinking into her husband's arms. "Too many years. Too many deaths. But it's over. We're free. And we survived, thank the Tester." She turned to look at him, blue-grey eyes wide. "What do we do now?"

Michael Oversteegen just nodded fervently and held his wife closer. "It seems unreal, doesn't it? All those years, all those lives - all over." He paused to kiss her long brown hair, bound up in a braid now, but still as long as it had been when he met her - and when they married. "But," he said more seriously, "you bring up an important question, darlin'." He took a deep breath, preparing himself for this moment - the most important question he would ask her since he'd asked her to marry him. "Abby, my love, a long time ago we talked about somedays. You and me, we've been naval officers for a long time now. And I've been thinkin' that maybe it's time we were somethin' more than just naval officers. Somethin' we couldn't be while there was a shootin' war goin' on - but somethin' we can be, now that it's over."

"What are you saying, Michael?" She squirmed in his arms, settling herself so she could look at his face. "Whatever you're leading up to, just say it. There's no use tiptoeing like a treecat."

"You're right, as usual." He smiled slightly, squeezing her shoulders, and braced himself. "Abby, a long time ago we talked about havin' a family of our own, assumin' we survived this war. We agreed that if we were goin' t' be parents, we were goin' t' be _parents_ , not leavin' our children worryin' about whether or not mum or dad were goin' t' come home safe." Her beautiful eyes were enormous now, and he plunged on. "Someday's finally here, darlin'. And I'm askin' you - d'you want to start a family with me?"

She laughed, a long, joyous sound, as tears spilled down her cheeks. "Yes," she burbled, hiding her face in his chest. "Oh, sweet Tester, yes. I love my job, and I always will, but it'll still be there when our children are grown, and I want - yes, Michael, I want children, _our_ children. So I suppose the only other question is - when can we start?"

He hid his face in her hair, and when he spoke again his voice was very thick. "As soon as you want, darlin'. As soon as you want. After what we've been through, there's nothin' I want more. But," he said, and his voice was serious again, "before we take any steps in that direction, we should talk about how, exactly, we'd manage it."

Abigail nodded, biting her lower lip as she thought. "I'd want to go on half-pay," she said without hesitation. "I'll not be working while I have children to raise. Believe me, that's a full-time job in and of itself! But that begs the question of what _you_ want to do." She looked at him thoughtfully. "And that's where the questions come in."

"Well, I certainly won't be on active duty," he snorted. "And God knows we don't need t' work. With that said, though, while I certainly don't think parenthood would be _borin'_ , I don't think the Admiralty would be all that enamored of lettin' me beach myself completely, and truth be told, I'd like to stay somewhat involved, you know what I mean?"

"Mmm." Abigail nodded again, this time in complete agreement. "Tester knows one of us should! Having us both out of the military loop would be a disaster when we got back into space. This way you could keep me updated. But _how?_ Would you want to go work for the Admiralty?"

"That's always an option," he said, and there was a note of nervousness in his voice now. "But there are other options, too."

"What aren't you telling me, Michael?" she demanded, turning again to face him.

"Well," he said, "I had a very interestin' conversation with Steadholder Harrington the other day. One in which the topic of faculty slots at Mackenzie Academy might have come up."

For the first time that he could remember, Abigail's jaw dropped. "Michael," she whispered at last, helpless and overcome.

"We could raise the children on Grayson, love," he said quietly. "I'm not sayin' we have to. But I've seen the strength of Grayson family structure, darlin', and truth be told most of my family's not worth spendin' an extended amount of time with. So if you want - if it's what we decide t' do - we could raise our family on your homeworld. I've also had quiet discussions with Saganami Island. They're prepared t' offer me a teachin' slot, if I want it. So is Mackenzie. We don't have t' decide now, or even this month, if we want some time. But I needed t' give you the choice."

Abigail stared at him for a moment longer, then buried her face in his shoulder and wept.

Michael Oversteegen knew very well that he would never understand the true depth of the sacrifices his wife had made when she agreed to marry him. He had understood, on an intellectual level if not an emotional one, that by choosing to marry an outworlder she had essentially given up the possibility of truly coming home again, however much she might want to. And as a result she would be forever torn between the world of her birth and the world of her husband and her husband's navy.

Nor had he himself spent a tremendous amount of time on Grayson, despite having married one, though he'd admired them for years and learned as much as he could. But learning wasn't living, and by the time he knew he wanted to marry Abigail Hearns, the Star Kingdom and its Grand Alliance was in a full-out shooting war and time had been precious and short. As a result, he had spent a brief two weeks on the planet as he and Abigail prepared for their Grayson wedding in the gorgeous Owens Cathedral before they had hastened back to Manticore for their second, Catholic ceremony, and almost before their brief honeymoon was over they were both back in space, on separate deployments with only com messages, memories, and occasional Tenth Fleet dinners together to live on.

But, he thought as he stroked his wife's hair, he had always believed that the greatest testament to a society was the people it produced. And if Grayson had given the galaxy Abigail Hearns, he was more than prepared to give his children the same upbringing she had experienced, no matter how little he actually knew about it.

His home was wherever she was, after all.

She looked up at him now, her eyes glowing, and she smiled at him in a way he hadn't seen her smile since their wedding night, all those years ago. "I don't know," she said, her voice trembling. "I think it'll take us a couple of weeks, at least, to think about it, to talk about it. But what I _do_ know," she said firmly, "is that our children are going to have the best father in the galaxy. And," she continued, with tears shimmering in her eyes, "I also know that I have never loved you more than I do right now." She tucked her face into his neck, and he held her close, shaking with the emotion that moved through him, as she said softly, "You are the best man I have ever known, Michael Oversteegen. If I ever had any doubts that the Tester himself brought us together, I don't any more. And whatever we decide, the one thing that truly matters to me is that I'm with you."

"There's nothin' I wouldn't do for you, Abby," he managed roughly at last. "My home is wherever you are. As long as I can come home t' you and the children at the end of the day, I don't care where I am or what I do. I can admit that I'd love t' teach - t' pass on t' the next generation what my instructors passed on t' me, and everythin' I've learned, t' boot. But all I really want is _you_ , my darlin' girl, and wherever we make our home, there's a teachin' spot waitin' for me. So we'll talk about it. We'll talk about it, and eventually we'll decide. But whatever we do, we'll do it _together._ And at the end of the day, that's what matters most. You're all the universe to me, Abigail."

She let out a choked little cry, and he studied her carefully, love and concern in his eyes. "What is it, Abby?"

"I need you," she said, just a little hoarsely. "Right now."

And she kissed him.

"Oh," he blurted as the lightning of pleasure and undying love lashed through him, and then he couldn't think at all.


End file.
